Cuperus, Bartholomeus (1836-1914)

Bartholomeus Cuperus, born in Amsterdam 1836, died in 1914, was a Dutch Mennonite pastor. After finishing his theological studies at the University and the Mennonite Theological Seminary at Amsterdam, he served the congregations of Rottevalle-Witveen 1861-1863, Borne 1863-1871, IJlst 1871-1873, and Zutphen 1873-1890. He wrote Afscheidsrede te Zutphen (Zutphen, 1890); Godsdienst een maatschappelijke kracht (Zutphen, 1890), and Levensbericht van Alle Meenderts Cramer (Leiden, 1895).

He was the power behind the congregation of Wageningen, which owed its existence both spiritually and financially to a large extent to Cuperus. Even before the congregation was founded Cuperus gave catechetic instruction to Mennonite children here, starting on 23 May 1895 and from October 1895 he often conducted a service for the Mennonites residing here. He dedicated the first church of Wageningen on 24 May 1901. In 1904 and again in 1905 he presented the church with a considerable gift of money for a pipe organ. Until the first minister of Wageningen preached his induction sermon (A. J. van Loghum Slaterus, 22 November 1908), Cuperus acted as temporary pastor of the congregation.)